Blue: The History of a Color. (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Blue... is confident, stylish, well-turned out.... The book's sapphire glow will grace the most discriminating coffee tables. -- Jane Gardam, Spectator

A miracle of poetry in the midst of academic rigidity. Telerama ... a rich volume, intelligently illustrated... With sure-footed scholarship, trenchant opinions, Michel Pastoureau goes beyond a perfunctory visit: he makes us realize the importance of this material and avoids the errors of a number of other historians. Le Monde ... a delicious mix of erudition and lighthearted fun. Livres Pastoureau's text moves us through one fascinating area of activity after another... The jacket, cover and end-papers of this luscious book are appropriately blue; its double-columned text breathes easily in the space of its pages; it is so well sewn it opens flat at any place; and fascinating, aptly chosen color plates, not confined to the title color, will please even those eyes denied the good luck of being blue. -- William Gass Los Angeles Times Book Review Blue is both prettily produced and whimsically enjoyable. -- Julian Bell Times Literary Supplement Michel Pastoureau takes us into territory that could be made to feel impossibly dense and absurdly specialized. To his credit, the tour is brisk and challenging. -- John Loughery Washington Post Book World A generous, gorgeous book full of nearly 100 historical and artistic plates, all illustrating the meaning and role of the color blue in Western history... Pastoureau has created something rare: a coffee table book that is also a good read. And not just a good read, but a compelling read. -- Brian Bouldrey Chicago Tribune Blue ... is confident, stylish, well-turned out... The book's sapphire glow will grace the most discriminating coffee tables. -- Jane Gardam Spectator This beautifully illustrated book is well written and informative, and makes an important contribution to the social history of art. Choice In this beguiling and beautiful mixture of art book and social history, the distinguished French scholar shows how the rarest of all colors became the commonest. -- Emma Hagestadt and Boyd Tonkin The Independent Magazine The material history of a certain section of the spectrum, from the costly tones of the Virgin's cloak to uniforms, Picasso and jeans. History can make you blind, but some historians can make you see again. -- James Davidson Daily Telegraph

Beguiling and beautiful mixture of art book and social history. . . . Shows how the rarest of all colors became the commonest. -- Emma Hagestadt and Boyd Tonkin, The Independent Magazine

The material history of a certain section of the spectrum, from the costly tones of the Virgin's cloak to uniforms, Picasso and jeans. History can make you blind, but some historians can make you see again. -- Review

This beautifully illustrated book is well written and informative, and makes an important contribution to the social history of art. -- Choice

Review

A miracle of poetry in the midst of academic rigidity.
(Telerama )

. . . a rich volume, intelligently illustrated. . . . With sure-footed scholarship, trenchant opinions, Michel Pastoureau goes beyond a perfunctory visit: he makes us realize the importance of this material and avoids the errors of a number of other historians.
(Le Monde )

. . . a delicious mix of erudition and lighthearted fun.
(Livres )

Pastoureau's text moves us through one fascinating area of activity after another. . . . The jacket, cover and end-papers of this luscious book are appropriately blue; its double-columned text breathes easily in the space of its pages; it is so well sewn it opens flat at any place; and fascinating, aptly chosen color plates, not confined to the title color, will please even those eyes denied the good luck of being blue.
(William Gass Los Angeles Times Book Review )

Blue is both prettily produced and whimsically enjoyable.
(Julian Bell Times Literary Supplement )

Michel Pastoureau takes us into territory that could be made to feel impossibly dense and absurdly specialized. To his credit, the tour is brisk and challenging.
(John Loughery Washington Post Book World )

A generous, gorgeous book full of nearly 100 historical and artistic plates, all illustrating the meaning and role of the color blue in Western history. . . . Pastoureau has created something rare: a coffee table book that is also a good read. And not just a good read, but a compelling read.
(Brian Bouldrey Chicago Tribune )

Blue . . . is confident, stylish, well-turned out. . . . The book's sapphire glow will grace the most discriminating coffee tables.
(Jane Gardam Spectator )

This beautifully illustrated book is well written and informative, and makes an important contribution to the social history of art.
(Choice )

In this beguiling and beautiful mixture of art book and social history, the distinguished French scholar shows how the rarest of all colors became the commonest.
(Emma Hagestadt and Boyd Tonkin The Independent Magazine )

The material history of a certain section of the spectrum, from the costly tones of the Virgin's cloak to uniforms, Picasso and jeans. History can make you blind, but some historians can make you see again.
(James Davidson Daily Telegraph )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; illustrated edition edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691090505
• ISBN-13: 978-0691090504
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #366,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

117 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From sacred blue to blue jeans...., February 17, 2002

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Woad, Indigo, Azurite, Lapis, Copper Silicate, Blue Vitriol are some of the sources of the color blue. BLUE, THE HISTORY OF A COLOR, by Michel Pastoureau, is a beautiful art history book, whose organizing principle is the color--blue. Pastoureau's book is a bit "Francocentered" but nevertheless, who better to reflect on blue than a Frenchman. BLUE is both informative and entertaining and a must for any serious art book collector. The photgraphy of various works of art--including selected stained glass windows from the early church--is stunning. The book is loaded with illustrations showing pages from psalters, cathedral windows, figurines, and other art.

For millions of years, the major colors for artistic expression were Black-White-Red. Ancient tales such as "Little Red Riding Hood", "Snow White", and "The Fox and the Crow" reflect this primary triad. The Romans considered blue an inferior color, especially since the Celts up North had discovered the leaves from the Woad plant could be made into a beautiful blue "pastel" suitable for body painting. The liturgal colors of the Catholic Church date from Roman times and are red-white-black (green was added later). However, at some point between the time the Romans lost Europe and the Catholic Church reentered recorded history, blue became associated with Mary the mother of Christ. When Abbe Suger built St. Denis, blue began to rival red for supremacy within the church, although blue never became a vestment color. When St. Louis built his Chapel and the Capet family became the rulers of France with Mary as their patron, the fleur de lis on a blue background became the family standard and the flag of France (fleur de lis = lily of Mary, although it may be a blue flag or iris).

No sooner had blue become THE color of colors, than the Protestants (Pastoureau calls them "Chromoclasts") demanded everything be turned black to reflect sin and penance. After they smashed a few thousand church windows, these reformers, who have been linked to capitalism, turned everything else black -- from telephones to automobiles. As Henry Ford once said, the customer can have any color he wants as long as it's black. Black went on to became the dress of high society--from stove pipe hats to tuxedoes to the little black dress.

During the Reformation, red and white had been dismissed by the Protestants but the shot heard round the world gave them a second chance as the new red-white-blue and blue-white-red flags led to military pants and coats in similar colors. But red and white were a dismal failure as they made targets of their wearers. Blue blends into the horizon so it has lasted longer as a battle garment. Although jungle fatigues and black commando suits are more often than not seen on modern battlefields, mess dress is still blue-white-red for many, and UN soldiers wear fleur-de-lis blue helmets. Blue eventually replaced black on the social front as descendents of the "Puritans" gave up black frocks for navy blue blazers and jeans.

Pastoureau covers iconography, iconology, symbolism, sociology, ethnology, the economic aspects of weaving, dyeing, and manufacture, and a host of other topics associated with the color blue. The book is incredibly rich in detail but far too short, and in the end it raises more questions than it addresses. Pastoureau points to many historical sources that have yet to be translated or fully examined, and art history majors looking for a thesis subject would be well advised to check out this book.

78 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Peacock, December 17, 2002

By A Customer

Only a Frenchman could have written this. Gorgeously illustrated, divertingly precious, breath-takingly arrogant, and close to useless. Pastoureau speculates, tells us how shamefully others have speculated, and then speculates some more. His arrogance, Francophilia, and contempt for people whose previous work does not meet his standards (and lord knows what they are) all work to ruin what could have been an exiciting book. He has a point to make, and darned if chronology, sense, or vision will keep him from doing so. A true history of the color awaits. Hopefully it will come in as pretty a package.

19 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great readable scholarly book with pictures !, March 14, 2002

By A Customer

Thoroughly researched and compellingly interesting, the story of how the West's modern times favorite color emerged from the middle ages. Lively, vivid, a great & beautiful book.
YGG